The Battle for the Heavenly Sword - Chapter 30

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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30
Woo Geom-san’s Battle for Supremacy
“Phew!”
Woo Geom-san let out a rough breath and straightened his back.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
It was because he had spent the whole afternoon practicing martial arts in the forest.
Although his physical body was exhausted, his mood was better than ever.
He had finally grasped exactly what it felt like to step on the void.
The homework of completely making this current sensation his own still remained, but that was a matter time and effort would solve.
Since he had achieved the desired results, he wanted to stop training and rest for today. However, he was not granted the time to rest comfortably.
“Brother!”
“Geom-san!”
It was because the siblings, Nam Mu-rin and Nam I-yeon, spotted him and came running over.
The twins particularly liked and followed Woo Geom-san.
Woo Geom-san liked the twins as well, so he would make time whenever he could to play with them.
“You’ll fall. Be careful!”
“Yaah!”
Suddenly, Nam Mu-rin threw a punch at Woo Geom-san.
It was a punch so slow and tedious that it made one yawn. But Woo Geom-san did not dodge it on purpose and let himself get hit.
“Ugh!”
There was no way a punch from a seven-year-old child with no weight behind it would hurt. Even so, Woo Geom-san fell over exaggeratedly as if he had received a massive shock.
Woo Geom-san clutched his stomach and looked up at Nam Mu-rin.
“To launch a sneak attack so sneakily?”
“Bwahaha! How is it? My Hundred-Step Divine Fist.”
“No wonder it felt so strong, it was the Hundred-Step Divine Fist. How frustrating!”
Woo Geom-san buried his face into the ground. Then, Nam Mu-rin and Nam I-yeon climbed onto Woo Geom-san’s back.
“Why did you take so long to come out? We were so bored.”
“Brother! I hate you.”
The children bounced up and down playfully on Woo Geom-san’s back as if they were riding a horse.
Only then did Woo Geom-san raise his head and apologize.
“Sorry! I lost track of time while focusing on my martial arts.”
“Is learning martial arts fun? Isn’t it hard?”
“It’s hard, but it’s fun.”
At Nam I-yeon’s worried words, Woo Geom-san replied with a smile.
Nam Mu-rin lay down next to Woo Geom-san and said,
“I want to learn martial arts too, is there any way?”
“Have you tried asking Grandpa?”
“I did, but he said it won’t work because I am not a Taoist Vessel. But what is a Taoist Vessel?”
“It refers to a person who can accept the martial arts or teachings of the Tao.”
“Then, are you a Taoist Vessel, Brother?”
“I think so.”
“Why am I not a Taoist Vessel? I want to learn martial arts too. Cheh!”
Nam Mu-rin pouted his lips.
Although he was young, he was still a boy.
Any male was bound to admire strong power.
Nam Mu-rin could be no exception.
But the rules of the Quanzhen Sect were strict, and Baek Ho-yang also had no intention of passing down the martial arts of the Quanzhen Sect to someone who was not a Taoist Vessel.
Therefore, when Nam Mu-rin begged him to teach him martial arts, he firmly refused.
He was deeply hurt by this, but he still could not completely let go of his lingering desire.
Woo Geom-san stroked Nam Mu-rin’s head and said,
“Sorry! If Grandpa doesn’t allow it, there’s nothing I can do either.”
“Cheh!”
Thump!
Nam I-yeon gave Nam Mu-rin’s head a little rap with her small fist while he was pretending to be upset.
“Stop bothering Geom-san. You dummy!”
“Who’s bothering him?”
“Asking for something that won’t work over and over is bothering him. If you really want to learn, ask Grandpa again.”
“Fine!”
“Sigh! Seriously, you only like using brute force……”
Nam I-yeon shook her head with a pathetic expression.
Woo Geom-san smiled as he watched the twin siblings bicker.
Seeing them made him think of his younger siblings back home.
‘Are they doing well?’
Although he had left his hometown and ended up here because he couldn’t hold back his anger for a single moment, he had never once regretted his choice back then.
Even if he were to go back to that moment, he would make the exact same choice.
Deep down, he wanted to run back to his hometown right this instant, but for now, his absence would be of help to the Woo Family Manor.
It was then.
“Uh, Brother?”
Nam Mu-rin’s voice broke Woo Geom-san’s thoughts.
“What is it?”
“Aren’t those people over there?”
Nam Mu-rin pointed his finger toward the hill.
Looking at the place he was pointing to, Woo Geom-san widened his eyes.
Just as Nam Mu-rin said, a group of people was walking over with haggard appearances.
They were all familiar faces.
They were the young men who had left the village over a month ago to sell tea.
The appearance of the young men who had barely returned was incredibly shabby.
Their faces were gaunt and thin, and the clothes they wore were torn and tattered to the point of evoking images of beggars.
Woo Geom-san and the Nam siblings ran to them at once.
Because among the young men who had left to sell tea, there was also their flesh and blood, Nam Mu-seong.
“Brother!”
“Brother!”
Nam Mu-rin and Nam I-yeon opened both arms and threw themselves into Nam Mu-seong’s embrace.
“Have our youngest ones been doing well?”
“Why did you come back so late?”
“I missed you.”
At his younger siblings’ whining, Nam Mu-seong held them even tighter.
Woo Geom-san approached Baek Wol-sang, who was at the front.
“You look haggard. It must have been very difficult?”
“Don’t even talk about it. I almost died.”
Baek Wol-sang shook his head as if he were utterly sick of it.
This journey was a continuous series of hardships, enough to make him shudder.
They had descended the mountain trail expecting ten days, but it took three more days.
The slope was steep, and they had to pass through several perilous cliffs, so they had no choice but to be extremely cautious.
Even though they were that careful, they almost plunged off the cliffs several times. In fact, a few of the donkeys they had brought along ended up losing their footing and falling to their deaths.
Hearing Baek Wol-sang’s story, Woo Geom-san naturally wore a sorrowful expression.
“Oh dear.”
“Fortunately, the merchants waited for us, so we were able to sell the tea. But they threatened that if we are late next time, they won’t wait and will leave.”
“That’s a big problem.”
“Even so, with the money from selling the tea, we were able to buy the items needed for winter. We’ll have to discuss a solution with the village elders while resting during the winter.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yeah! Let’s talk about the details later. Right now, I just want to get some rest.”
“Yes!”
Indeed, Baek Wol-sang showed clear signs of fatigue, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.
While coming up with the cargo loaded on the backs of the donkeys, they could not relax their tension for even a single moment.
Because they could not afford to lose any more donkeys.
Having spent over a month with their nerves on edge like that, their minds and bodies were in a state of extreme exhaustion.
What they needed was sufficient rest and sleep.
Understanding the feelings of Baek Wol-sang and the young men, Woo Geom-san did not hold them back any longer and let them go.
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The young men, including Baek Wol-sang, returned with the backs of their donkeys fully loaded with supplies for the village people to endure the winter.
The entire village was excited at the news that their children and brothers had returned safely.
Losing a few donkeys was a pity, but they were still grateful that the young men had returned safely.
In particular, the families of the young men welcomed their safe return more than anyone.
It was the same for Baek Do-gyeong’s house.
At Baek Wol-sang’s return, his mother and wife ran out barefoot and held him tight.
“Oh my! You boy.”
“Dear!”
The two women continued to shed tears even after confirming that Baek Wol-sang was safe. That was how much anxiety they had suffered.
“Phew!”
Baek Do-gyeong also let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Baek Wol-sang.
It was a journey spanning over a month.
A distance that would have been sufficient in a fortnight before the landslide took more than twice that time to barely complete. And that was through deadly suffering.
It was only possible because the village young men were all healthy and robust; for an old person like himself, it might have taken two or three months.
‘We cannot keep living like this.’
They had to descend the mountain at least three times a year.
They could not live with their hearts in their throats for over a month every single time.
The men could somehow endure it, but the women’s hearts would surely be completely scorched with anxiety.
Baek Do-gyeong hardened his resolve and sought out Baek Ho-yang.
“Grandpa!”
“It seems you have made a decision.”
“Yes! I have decided. I will do as you said, Grandpa.”
“You have made a difficult decision.”
“If there were no path at all, I would have rather given up comfortably. Connecting an existing path and creating one from scratch cannot even be compared, after all.”
He had confirmed it with his own eyes.
The plank road naturally formed along the canyon.
It was like a gift from God, taking pity on the village people who lived in isolation.
Although both ends were cut off, making access difficult, if they could somehow connect them, they could drastically reduce the time it took to descend the mountain.
“When do you plan to start?”
“I plan to head in right after we harvest the rice.”
“So soon?”
“The longer it is delayed, the more the children will suffer. That is why I have a request for you, Grandpa.”
“Speak.”
“I heard that you left to master a great martial art. Please help us.”
Baek Do-gyeong looked straight at Baek Ho-yang.
Baek Ho-yang read a powerful yearning in his eyes.
It was Baek Do-gyeong, who had served him with utmost devotion without expecting a single thing, despite not seeing his face for sixty years.
Such a Baek Do-gyeong was requesting help from Baek Ho-yang for the first time.
Baek Ho-yang could not refuse his request.
“Of course I will help too. However, I cannot do everything for you. The ones leading this work must ultimately be you and the village people.”
“I understand. Grandpa! That alone is more than enough.”
Baek Do-gyeong replied with a firm expression.
He offered his greetings of gratitude to Baek Ho-yang once more before returning home.
“Phew!”
Left alone, Baek Ho-yang sat on the wooden bench and let out a sigh.
At that moment, Woo Geom-san, who was inside the room, came outside.
“Are you alright?”
“Did you hear everything?”
“Yes!”
“I intended to tell you first, but things turned out that way.”
“It is fine. More than that, the people will have to suffer tremendously to construct the plank road.”
“It will be much better than taking a long detour several times every year.”
Woo Geom-san nodded his head silently.
Right now, Yunjung Village was in a state of complete isolation.
If a few years passed in this state, the lives of the people would become increasingly impoverished. If such a long time passed, the entire village would have no choice but to wither away, just as a tree dries up and dies.
“I will also help whenever I have time.”
“Thank you. Instead, refrain from excessive intervention. It would be better to give help only when it is absolutely necessary.”
“I will do that.”
“You rascal!”
Baek Ho-yang looked at Woo Geom-san with warm eyes.
Usually, boys around Woo Geom-san’s age go through a turbulent period of storm and stress.
Because as the body and mind grow rapidly, the ego becomes bloated.
Children of this period mostly have narrowed vision, and they are bound to think only of themselves.
That is why they rebel against their parents and act willfully.
They also showed characteristics of being unable to dig into one thing persistently due to a lack of concentration.
But Woo Geom-san was different.
It must be several times harder than others because he was juggling rehabilitation and cultivation training together, but he had never once skipped training until now.
He had never slacked off just because it was hard either.
Baek Ho-yang knew very well how difficult such a daily routine was.
That alone was praiseworthy, but he even possessed a sense of compassion and a warm heart.
There was no way Baek Ho-yang could not dote on him.
He stood up from the bench and said,
“My body feels stiff, so I must do some practice. Will you join me?”
“Yes!”
Woo Geom-san stood up with a smile.
Baek Ho-yang’s fingertips moved softly, stirring up a wind.
Woo Geom-san’s hands followed right behind.
It was the Chaeuolsu performed by the grandfather and grandson.
Softly as if plucking tea, strongly as if snatching the moon.
The sight of the two people moving completely in unison was dazzlingly beautiful.
Under the faint moonlight, the dance of the two people continued for a long time.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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